By Ashley Karen
A consortium of Italian contractors Pizzarotti and Saipem has awarded a contract to construct a rail bypass and high-speed rail station in Florence, Italy.
Italian railway infrastructure operator Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) awarded the contract, which is said to have a value of over €1 billion.
As RFI stated, the scope of work includes a 7km-long bypass – which will differentiate high-speed trains from regional services – plus two tunnels and the Firenze Belifiore underground station.
In addition, RFI said that the two parallel tunnels will be built at an average depth of 20m, and the consortium partners will bore them by using a TBM.
The architect Foster and engineering company Ove Arup and partners have been revealed to design the station.
CEO of Pizzarotti, Carlo Luzzatto, pointed out: “This is an award of great importance, iconic and highly prestigious: a strategic work not only for the territory but for the whole country, given the criticality of the Florence railway junction.”
